South by South West in Austin Texas, going?

[bansai]

My wife and I are planning our first trip of the year. We've always wanted to check out South by Southwest down in Austin. It starts March 10th so we have a little time to plan.

My wife wants to go for the music scene, I want to go for the IT related conferences mostly. Her Dad is probably going to fly down for his 70th birthday which is that same week, but he will probably stay with one of our friends that lives down there and we can park our camper on his property if we wanted to (but I don't really want to).

Does anyone have any camping recommendations for the Austin area? We would want hookups for this trip, not necessarily full, but at least power and water. Will probably have to kennel the dogs I don't see it working with them on this one.

If you've done this trip before, would love to hear your experiences.

TIA,
Mark

[Bookemdanno]

McKinney Falls is a nice State Park. We've stayed there before and I'd highly recommend it. Only water and electric.
Austin, TX Campground Reviews - Best of Austin Camping - RV Park Reviews

[bansai]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

McKinney Falls is a nice State Park. We've stayed there before and I'd highly recommend it. Only water and electric.
Austin, TX Campground Reviews - Best of Austin Camping - RV Park Reviews

Thanks for that. Added to our short list, currently in the top spot

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

McKinney Falls is a nice State Park. We've stayed there before and I'd highly recommend it. Only water and electric.
Austin, TX Campground Reviews - Best of Austin Camping - RV Park Reviews

+1

That's a great park. The spots are very spacious and spread out. They even have some pull-thru spots. The falls are neat, and definitely worth the easy hike if you get the chance. Access to the city is great.

My only piece of advice on McKinney Falls is don't look too closely to "the neighborhood" as you approach the park. That sector of Austin is known not to be "the best" if you catch my drift. And when I say "don't look too closely", I don't really mean it; be aware of your surroundings and keep your situational awareness up. The park is sort of an oasis in an otherwise "unsavory" area.

When I lived in Austin, I hated being around during SXSW. People everywhere, and plenty of "crazy" to go around. We usually tried to avoid the city during that time, but unfortunately, I had to work around it. It's a great festival for how much exposure and revenue it brings the city, but it severely taxes the already woefully inadequate infrastructure.

[bansai]

Thanks Bob, really appreciate your input on the local vibe around the park. My wife is actually from Dallas, and lived in Denton for a while, and Farmers Branch, it's kind of a home coming for her, but she doesn't know anything about the camping around Austin. A 'diverse' neighborhood outside the park doesn't scare us off. I'll probably take my CCW along, but that's nothing new for us, but it's really nice to have the heads up on that front, so thank you!

[Magnolia Tom]

If you are trying to get a reservation at a CG now for SXSW, you're probably too late. You'll probably be at least an hour away, but that's not a bad thing. Lots of crazy in Austin as it is, and it's ramped up during SXSW. May be nice to escape to some peace and quiet


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[Husky911]

Probably also full but Emma Long Metropolitan Park is worth a look ..........Its run by the City Parks Dept........

[etex211]

After enduring many trips to Austin while my kid was in graduate school there, I don't care to ever set foot in the town again.

[Bookemdanno]

Just as another suggestion Pedernales SP is another beautiful place to stay. It's about 45-60 mins into Austin, but it's also 45-60 minutes to the Fredericksburg area for the wineries. You can also visit the Vodka distilleries in Dripping Springs area (Deep Eddy is a good one), if you're in to that sort of thing. We stayed at Pedernales last year and loved it...even more so than McKinney Falls.
Pedernales Falls State Park - Johnson City, TX - RV Park Reviews

[TaftCoach]

Grab what you can find. All of the state parks within an hour or two are great.

The views expressed may not be mine in five minutes.

[bansai]

Thank you guys for the great tips. We've decided to turn this into a multi-week trip and have already secured 'camping' at a family friends house for half of it. He has a 10 acre lot with full hookups (we will be parked on his basketball court, over looking lake Travis) Should be interesting I really appreciate all of the tips. Thank you again.

[Magnolia Tom]

Awesome to have friends in high places! Lol. Lake Travis is really beautiful.


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[Grawe]

Lake Travis is the best RV spot in the Austin area. If you need it in the future, Leander has a very nice KOA with reasonable rates. We stayed there on our last trip. This close to SXSW reservations may be tough to come by so its good you have a place already.

2015 Jayco Pinnacle FLSA & 2008 Chevy Duramax

Anxiously awaiting retirement where I have been told everyday is a Saturday

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Tom

Awesome to have friends in high places! Lol. Lake Travis is really beautiful.


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Especially now that it has some water in it!